1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
Zoot Suittakes places in Los Angeles, California, with the action beginning on June 3, 1943 during the height of the zoot suit era in America. We follow a young Mexican-American man named Henry Reyna and his alter-ego, El Pachuco. We also follow the street gang Henry leads, the the 38th street gang. They are gang formed out of the barrios of Los Angeles. Included in this gang are his friends and their girls Smiley, Joey, Tommy, and Elena, his girlfriend Della, and his ex Bertha. On the night in question, Henry's gang find themselves in a street fight with the rival Downey gang at the hangout spot, the Sleepy Lagoon. In the aftermath, a young man is found murdered. A majority of the play is the fallout concerning these events and how they affect Henry, his friends and family, and those closest to him. The dramatic situation involves the era in which this play takes place. During World War II, many American minorities were rounded up from their homes, businesses, and social groups and placed into labor camps. Anything and anyone that did not resemble the Caucasian-centered idea of an American was discriminated against quite heavily. The dramatic situation the characters find themselves in is having to prove their innocence to a society that automatically judges them to be guilty.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion of Zoot Suit is when Henry and his friends are convicted of murder in the first and second degree. The boys have officially lost the rights and freedoms that make them American citizens. The conviction serves as a catalyst for the action and events that transpire in the second half that help to answer the dramatic question.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
At this time, Henry and his friends are wrongfully charged with the murder of a young man. Their race and backgrounds play an integral part in the dramatic action of the play. One of the reasons the play has as much power as it does is because of the background from which these men come from.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Can Pachuco culture survive in America? Should people like Henry be judged based on their pass transgressions? Is there any way to move on from your past? What does it mean to be American? How will these young men move on from the injustice that's been committed against them?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
During the play, Henry is engaging in two battles: one versus the world around him and the other versus himself. On the surface, Henry is engaging conflicts between his family and the outer society. Henry wants to do the right thing, but he can't seem to escape his gang past. He wants to go into the Navy and marry his girlfriend, Della, but he can't seem to avoid outside forces that try to destroy him at every turn. He must also balance his romantic life between Della and Alice, a social worker who later becomes his friend. Then there is his internal battle with his alter ego. El Pachuco is more than a figment of Henry's imagination. He's a representation of the zoot suit and pachuco culture in LA during this time. The music in the play is not only Chicano but popular American as well. People like Henry may come from a Mexican background, but they are also Americans. His battle with El Pachuco is indicative of him trying to balance his Mexican heritage with his American ideals.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when El Pachuco is attacked and stripped down to a loincloth. There is heavy imagery in this scene, with the allusion to the Aztecs. A couple other theatrical moments are Henry's romantic moments with Della and Alice. With these two moments, we are shown a side of Henry that no one else does. And the Judge giving Henry and his friends their convictions is a theatrical moment.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”
The image of El Pachuco in his loincloth is an incredible image in this play. Part of Henry has been stripped down along with him. Another interesting image in the play is the newspaper, specifically in most of the play adaptations. In the video of the Monterrey High performance, El Pachuco literally cuts a whole in the newspaper and walks through it. The news is also constantly repeated. The audience is always aware of what the press has to say, and it looms large over the play. And finally, the image of the zoot suit in general is an interesting image for the play. It's not only a piece of clothing. The zoot suit represents a counterculture towards the traditional way of looking. It was a rebellion of both Mexican and American ideals which, in turn, helped many Mexican-Americans create a style that was entirely their own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
One major theme that can be associated with this play is nationalism. Henry is conflicted between is Mexican roots and his American ideals. He sees good and bad in both, and his actions in the play are motivated towards balancing the two worlds. Another theme to be explored in this play is forgiveness. Henry and his friends (as well as those who've suffered at the hands of race-relations) must find a way to forgive society. Other themes in the play include race, justice, and tolerance.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
Family looms large over the actions of this play. Like many families, Henry's family seems to struggle from the all-to-familiar miscommunication. One of the reasons why Henry wants to go into the Navy is because he wants to be an asset to his family. However, while his father likes the idea, his mother is strongly opposed to it. There is also a generational gap. This can be seen when Henry's dad, Enrique, is talking to his children before they go off to party. He doesn't like what Lupe and Rudy are wearing, and he doesn't like how his children aren't speaking enough Spanish. This goes back to pachuco and zoot suits, which were a way for the younger generation growing in America to express themselves their way.
Zoot Suit takes places in Los Angeles, California, with the action beginning on June 3, 1943 during the height of the zoot suit era in America. We follow a young Mexican-American man named Henry Reyna and his alter-ego, El Pachuco. We also follow the street gang Henry leads, the the 38th street gang. They are gang formed out of the barrios of Los Angeles. Included in this gang are his friends and their girls Smiley, Joey, Tommy, and Elena, his girlfriend Della, and his ex Bertha. On the night in question, Henry's gang find themselves in a street fight with the rival Downey gang at the hangout spot, the Sleepy Lagoon. In the aftermath, a young man is found murdered. A majority of the play is the fallout concerning these events and how they affect Henry, his friends and family, and those closest to him. The dramatic situation involves the era in which this play takes place. During World War II, many American minorities were rounded up from their homes, businesses, and social groups and placed into labor camps. Anything and anyone that did not resemble the Caucasian-centered idea of an American was discriminated against quite heavily. The dramatic situation the characters find themselves in is having to prove their innocence to a society that automatically judges them to be guilty.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion of Zoot Suit is when Henry and his friends are convicted of murder in the first and second degree. The boys have officially lost the rights and freedoms that make them American citizens. The conviction serves as a catalyst for the action and events that transpire in the second half that help to answer the dramatic question.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
At this time, Henry and his friends are wrongfully charged with the murder of a young man. Their race and backgrounds play an integral part in the dramatic action of the play. One of the reasons the play has as much power as it does is because of the background from which these men come from.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrustion.)
Can Pachuco culture survive in America? Should people like Henry be judged based on their pass transgressions? Is there any way to move on from your past? What does it mean to be American? How will these young men move on from the injustice that's been committed against them?
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a charcter. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
During the play, Henry is engaging in two battles: one versus the world around him and the other versus himself. On the surface, Henry is engaging conflicts between his family and the outer society. Henry wants to do the right thing, but he can't seem to escape his gang past. He wants to go into the Navy and marry his girlfriend, Della, but he can't seem to avoid outside forces that try to destroy him at every turn. He must also balance his romantic life between Della and Alice, a social worker who later becomes his friend. Then there is his internal battle with his alter ego. El Pachuco is more than a figment of Henry's imagination. He's a representation of the zoot suit and pachuco culture in LA during this time. The music in the play is not only Chicano but popular American as well. People like Henry may come from a Mexican background, but they are also Americans. His battle with El Pachuco is indicative of him trying to balance his Mexican heritage with his American ideals.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when El Pachuco is attacked and stripped down to a loincloth. There is heavy imagery in this scene, with the allusion to the Aztecs. A couple other theatrical moments are Henry's romantic moments with Della and Alice. With these two moments, we are shown a side of Henry that no one else does. And the Judge giving Henry and his friends their convictions is a theatrical moment.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”
The image of El Pachuco in his loincloth is an incredible image in this play. Part of Henry has been stripped down along with him. Another interesting image in the play is the newspaper, specifically in most of the play adaptations. In the video of the Monterrey High performance, El Pachuco literally cuts a whole in the newspaper and walks through it. The news is also constantly repeated. The audience is always aware of what the press has to say, and it looms large over the play. And finally, the image of the zoot suit in general is an interesting image for the play. It's not only a piece of clothing. The zoot suit represents a counterculture towards the traditional way of looking. It was a rebellion of both Mexican and American ideals which, in turn, helped many Mexican-Americans create a style that was entirely their own.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
One major theme that can be associated with this play is nationalism. Henry is conflicted between is Mexican roots and his American ideals. He sees good and bad in both, and his actions in the play are motivated towards balancing the two worlds. Another theme to be explored in this play is forgiveness. Henry and his friends (as well as those who've suffered at the hands of race-relations) must find a way to forgive society. Other themes in the play include race, justice, and tolerance.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
Family looms large over the actions of this play. Like many families, Henry's family seems to struggle from the all-to-familiar miscommunication. One of the reasons why Henry wants to go into the Navy is because he wants to be an asset to his family. However, while his father likes the idea, his mother is strongly opposed to it. There is also a generational gap. This can be seen when Henry's dad, Enrique, is talking to his children before they go off to party. He doesn't like what Lupe and Rudy are wearing, and he doesn't like how his children aren't speaking enough Spanish. This goes back to pachuco and zoot suits, which were a way for the younger generation growing in America to express themselves their way.